Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Anglican leader hits out at Christmas consumerism

The “absurd and ridiculous” pressure to have a perfect Christmas
puts relationships under strain and “spoils life”, the Archbishop of
Canterbury has warned.

The Most Rev Justin Welby said consumerism
over the festive period is now so “over the top” that couples are left
arguing over money and children are shouted at.

He said he would like to tell people to stop giving gifts altogether but accepts no one would listen.

Instead, he urged families to “show” love and affection rather than trying to “buy it”.

Figures last year suggested the average household spent around £1,000 on Christmas.

In
his first comments on Christmas since becoming the Anglican leader, the
archbishop acknowledged: “It’s a cliché of modern life that someone
gets up and says Christmas is becoming very materialistic as though it
wasn’t 300 years ago.”

But he added: “Yes obviously the secular
over-the-topness, everything you have to have, new clothes you have to
have, new this, new that, new the other, is ridiculous, it’s absurd, it
shouldn’t happen.

“It puts pressure on relationships because when
you’re short of money you argue. You get cross with your kids more
easily, it spoils life.”